


Hidden Scars

by The_trash_cannot



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Assassination, Brainwashing, Child Abandonment, Dehumanization, Depression, Drug Use, Fight Scenes, Fucking soviet squid nazis, GBH, Gen, Hallucinogens, Kidnapping, Non-Consensual Electroconvulsive Therapy, Psychological Torture, Self-Harm, Torture, Violence, cryogenic freezing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-05-06
Packaged: 2018-09-19 15:35:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9447773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_trash_cannot/pseuds/The_trash_cannot
Summary: I can't summarize if my life depends on it, but here you go.14 years ago, a young girl, one of many, was taken into HYDRA to become part of Project: Winter Solder. After many grueling, and oftentimes murderous, trials, she is selected to receive special training from HYDRA's crown jewel: The Winter Soldier.It's been many months since she last saw him. Shortly after, the Twins came, and everything changed. They spoke to her. The one named Wanda went inside her head, tried to understand her.After meeting her, they make a plan to escape. After all, what is life without freedom? But what is freedom if everyone is your enemy?





	1. Prologue

April 25, 2014 ~ Sokovian HYDRA base

 

      It had always been the same. Day after day, year after year. Every one just like the last. Until about not long ago when her partner, the Winter Soldier, disappeared. 

      She knew better than to ask about it. Questions led to punishment, that had been drilled into her mind since...since...since Before. That's what she called it, the time before HYDRA. It was rare that she got memories, and sometimes they hurt so much the wiping was a relief, only from a pain she never knew she had, after it was gone.

Now wasn't the time to think about it, though. She needed to find out what had happened to Winter Soldier. It was the most unlogical time to disappear. She knew that the day he left was supposed to be HYDRA's great victory over the world, but everyone had suddenly gone into hiding. They used to operate out of Washington D. C., New York City, and many other large cities around the globe. Their main base was now a small building just outside the capital of Sokovia, a tiny Eastern European country. 

She picked up that something was wrong when the cell across the hall was empty, his suit was gone from the gear room and they no longer trained together. In fact, the handlers acted like he never existed when they were around her. The only explanation was that he escaped. Somehow he must have gone rouge on a mission, and gotten the tracker in his arm destroyed. But the only way to do that would be near lethal, such as a large explosion, or a high fall into water

      She was more intelligent than they believed. She heard glimpses of their whispery conversations. "...Been off the grid more than a month..."  "...Can't launch a search for him with S.H.I.E.L.D. looking all over the world for us..." "They talk about maybe sending the Asset out to find him. She knows his techniques..."

      She pulled at the metal collar and chain around her neck. It chafed at her skin, and even though the serums and chemicals in her veins gave her advanced healing, it always reopened the wounds. That was how they kept her from breaking out of her cell. For the Winter Soldier, large metal clamps around his forearms and biceps secured him to the wall. The chains allowed them both enough room to lie down, but that was it. Though she wasn't quite sure how, she knew it was abnormal for her to be chained this often.

      She pondered all of this as she sat waiting between missions. Unlike Winter Soldier, she was not put in the cryogenic freezers, as it would stun her growth. So they just stuffed her in a cell. She noticed the missions were more often. They normally came every 2 or 3 months, but she had gone on two in six weeks. She heard bits and pieces from the guards' and agents' chatter about some Captain America.

      The name was vaguely familiar, enough for her to know he was an enemy of HYDRA. She worried the Captain might have killed Zimney Soldat (Winter Soldier). She wasn't one to feel sorrow over death, with the many she had killed, but she still feared for him. He was... she didn't quite know the word... important to her? That might be right. He had been her only partner for a very long time (over a decade if anyone were counting), and she... missed him. 

      Was that the meaning? She was confused. She felt like she should know these words, these... emotions, but didn't. The voices got louder in her head. This had never happened before. Or had it? She wished she could remember. They were pounding, screaming in her mind. Don't other people remember these things? Wasn't she a person? Didn't she deserve these things, these memories? No, no, she wasn't a person. She was an Asset. But then, why did she feel this? Was there something terrible, that she didn't want to know? Why wouldn't all the pain just go away? Why couldn't she just remember? Why did she even want to??


	2. Part 1

Since she had awoken several hours ago, the guard on its slow route had passed by twice, one rat had passed outside the steel door, and she had counted 3 leaks in the ceiling of her cell.

It was soon after the guard had passed the second time that she heard the sound for the first time. As soon as she heard it, she sprung into a crouch, muscles tensed for a fight. She heard it again, it was closer. A soft whissshhhh. Soft, but certainly closer. The third time it came, it was right outside the door. Metal clanked against metal, and the door to the cell opened and closed faster than she could blink.

There was a person standing with her in the cell. He was tall, with a lanky build, and curly hair that just came to his eyes. He was dressed standard for one of the experiments from the lab upstairs. She noticed that he held a ring of keys. He stared at her, seeming more intrigued than surprised.

He broke the silence first. "Who are you?"

It took a moment for the question to register. Who? What did he mean? She realized after a second that he must be requesting identification.

"D4-36," The best answer she could muster.

He looked completely baffled now. Her voice creaked as if it hadn't been used in years, but that wasn't as unusual to Pietro as the answer she gave. A number. Who gives a number when asked a name? He mustered humor as best he could, "Not much of a name," Mentally, he kicked himself for sounding so stupid.

She furrowed her brow further. She was always identified by her number, yet he seemed dissatisfied with it as an answer. A part of her mind tensed with fear. She got it wrong. She mustn't get anything wrong. They would hurt her. No. No no no no nonononono.

Seeing how quickly she was beginning to breathe, Pietro reached out to grab her shoulder, to comfort her. With how concerned he was over her, he didn't see her eyes flash in panic, and didn't see her move until she had grabbed his wrist and pulled him towards the floor. He reacted in time to catch her fist before it hit his face, and pushed her back before supersonically scrambling to his feet.

She attempted to leap at him, but was quickly stopped by the chain that bound her to the wall. She flinched as it tugged at her neck, and it only took him a moment to see why.

The skin of her neck under where the collar rubbed was a mass of red welts and scar tissue. Growling, she yanked at the chain with her neck, only causing more drops of blood. Pietro noticed the keyhole on the side of the collar; it was a very peculiar shape, and he quickly dug through the keys he stole to find one of a similar shape. Swiftly, he dove in and unlocked the collar, wasting no time in pressing himself against the opposite wall as it fell away.

Slowly, she rose and stepped backwards. They stood like that for a moment, both equally confused. Pietro as to why she didn't attack him, and her as to why he helped her.

Seeing that she wouldn't speak, Pietro did. "Why did you call yourself that?"

Mentally cringing at what she heard as criticism, and not wanting to get another answer wrong, she replied after a moment in a shaky voice, "That is my identification number." The frantic supplication in her words betrayed her fear.

That sentence only served to make them both more confused. The term- identification number- was familiar to him. He and Wanda had been given their own, I-52 and I-53 respectively, but Struker and the doctors feared them too much to treat them poorly after their powers developed.

Running short on ideas to communicate with this girl, he reached out to the only person he could. 'Wanda. Wanda, help!'

'Pietro'. Her reply was immediate, and he felt his sister's calming presence in his mind. 'Pietro, where are you?' Then a few seconds later, 'What the hell is that thing with you?!'

Wanda was used to people's minds. She spent her free hours lazily prying through people's memories, their hopes and fears. She knew the energy a human brain gave off. Whatever was near Pietro was not human.

The energy she usually sensed was normally calm, reflecting the person's thoughts. Different areas gave off more energy as they thought different things. What she had seen with that thing was completely different. Some parts overloaded with energy, others entirely devoid of it. It shifted and cracked on a whim, swirling like a giant lighting storm.

Experimentally, Wanda tried the simplest trick on this new mind, looking at a memory. The instant she prodded into the thing's memories, it was like placing her hand on a black hole. Darkness sucked her in, pulling and tugging her. She smelled ozone and felt a rush of cold. She yanked that part of her mind away from the deep pit before it was sucked down.

'Wanda,' Pietro spoke to her again. 'Wanda, it's ok. I found a girl down here. She looks hurt. We need to help her.'

'Get back here, now.' Wanda ordered, still reeling from what had just happened. 'What we need to do is talk.'

Pietro took one last look at the strange girl, and with a final wave and a "See ya," was gone.

The girl was now alone in her cell. She sat next to her chain. They would hurt her when they found it off. She thought about what had just happened. Why had he helped her? Why hadn't she attacked him? Why did she feel so strange?

Then, a faint thump, thump, thump, in the distance alerted her to the guard returning on his well-worn path through the dim hallways. Somehow, she felt much more lonesome as she watched a spider scurry across the ceiling.


	3. Part 2

She dreamed about a ballet. Dancers twirled and pirouetted in white on stage, until suddenly a gunshot sounded behind her. She turned to find nothing but empty rows of seats, but when she looked back at the stage, she realized the music had stopped. Dancers were strewn across the stage, white gowns streaked with red. The single live one stood in the center, covered in blood and surrounded by her fellows. The Ballerina stood straight as a soldier; then another shot sounded from above, and a hole appeared between her eyes. The graceful dancer fell, body joining the mass of blood-streaked skirts.

When she woke, she could remember nothing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was 3 days before she saw the strange boy again.

This time, he whissshhed straight into her cell and immediately unlocked the collar. Slowly she stood, still shaky from her training a short time earlier (300 push-ups and then several miles' run on a treadmill). For a moment, they simply stood there. Both wondering if the other would snap and kill them.

"You are freaky." Other than a confused twitch of her eyebrows, she gave no inclination that she even heard him. Pietro tried again, "Who are you?"

After a moment, she mirrored slowly in a rusty voice "Who... Are you?" The words felt odd and foreign on her tongue.

"I'm Pietro." He stepped forward and offered his hand, without thinking. Just as quickly she jumped back, eyes full of fear, unsure of what she was about to be struck for. "Sorry," He muttered, making a mental note to keep his arms down when dealing with her. He continued in a more confident tone: "I'm here with my sister, Wanda. We're working with Baron Von Struker."

Her eye twitched upon mention of the current leader of HYDRA, and the base they were in. The man insisted upon further experimentation on her, lacking the materials, manpower, or resources to fully control her. It was only years of training and pain that made her compliant to his orders. She was just grateful that there wasn't one of the chairs here. It was hard to recall how many times she had been strapped into the chairs, with nothing but a mouth guard holding back the screams of hollow memories.

'How's it going?' Wanda spoke into Pietro's mind, tentative to reach out after what had happened the last time.

'Not sure yet.' Pietro thought back, 'She won't talk. I'm not even sure if she can understand me. It's like she's not fully here.' Nervously, he scratched at the back of his hand, where his I. V. went in.

"You escaped from the labs."

That short statement was enough to throw Pietro completely off guard. "How do you know?" He asked, trying to encourage her to talk more.

"Clothes." And a nod towards his shirt was her only response. The more they interacted, the more her hands and eye twitched, and the more her eyes flicked around the floor of the room.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He eventually said in a tender, slightly sorrowful voice; though she could hardly remember what sorrow was. The words struck an odd cord in her; it had been a very long time since someone had not wanted to hurt her. She was still reflecting on the peculiar statement when he left.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Pietro and Wanda's release from the confines of the lab brought with it the opportunity to do some probing for information.

"Von Struker," He turned as he heard his name, and saw I-52, the Speedster, the other twin not to far behind. "I was wondering," Pietro continued, "Are there any others? Like us, at this base?" He asked, motioning to himself and I-53.

Von Struker tilted his head up, trying to look superior to the tall, imposing experiment. "You have been told everything you have clearance for, and you know that everyone else in the group here is dead." With that, he turned sharply back to his men.

"Alright," Pietro said, casual smirk on his face, "I just thought it would've been odd of you to have guards patrolling an empty cell block." Before Struker had fully turned around in shock and anger, they were gone.

 

Throughout the next few days, the twins spent much time conversing in the small corners where no one could hear them. They heard the soldiers and doctors talk amongst themselves, talking about how there were no more large, or even moderate HYDRA bases left. They talked about the Avengers, about Captain America, about Stark.

Everyone knew it would only be a short time before the base was attacked. They knew too, and also knew that somehow they had to get away. It was obvious to see that the girl in the dungeons, who seemed just a bit younger than them, was a product of HYDRA's experiments, and they didn't want to stick around and see what would become of them later on. They had to escape, and the attack would be the perfect diversion.

They had everything planned out. They would leave by different exits, to insignificant to be guarded, and meet between the railroad and the bunker. Pietro would go to the cells and get the other girl before heading to the rendezvous point.

6 days after the escape had been organized, a piercing alarm sounded through the base.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys like Winter Soldier fanfiction, which I presume you do because you're here, please check out one of the best stories on this site, the How They Make You A Weapon series by monicawoe. It's worth it, I promise.


	4. Part 2.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a super short filler chapter, but enjoy!

Age: 13  
Location: Road outside Bilibino, Russia  
(Sokolov, Mikhail  
Weight: 82.5 kg.  
Height: 1.88 m.  
Level 4 threat, extensive combat experience, weapons may include but are not limited to 9 mil. handgun, 50k volt taser, M67 hand grenade, 9 in. tactical blade.  
Orders: Eliminate on site, return for extraction immediately. Recommend staged crash.)

She waited. Hidden in the snow, she had lain still there for hours. She was wearing her usual black uniform, and had it been a more populated area, she would have been seen immediately. However, these roads had many tight turns around cliffs, and the weather had picked up, slightly obscuring visibility and covering her in a light snow. By the time the target could spot her, he'd likely be dead. Sokolov should be approaching soon. After a while, she saw it.

A sturdy, armored, gray car. Lining up the crosshairs, she fired into the front left tire. The car spun out of control, skidding and crashing into the foot of the short cliff she was perched on. She agilely scaled down to the road to inspect damage.

As she did, the driver door opened. Sokolov, was bleeding heavily from deep gashes in his head and arm, along with numerous cuts and scratches. His movement told her that he had at least one broken rib. However, he was still standing, and still needed to be taken down.

Seeing her, he knew instantly that he had been targeted. Sokolov then rushed forward to attack her, and she rolled out of the way, landing a kick on his back and leaping up. He staggered a few feet, more blood pumping from his wounds. Before he could recover, she grabbed the sides of his head, and twisted it sharply to the side. Snap.

Taking his body, she dragged it over to the car, head dangling unnaturally, and left it slumped over the steering wheel, being sure to lock and close the door. She only waited a moment before sprinting back towards the extraction point, fresh snow already covering her tracks.


	5. Part 3

The first explosion caused dust to fall from the ceiling. The second made the lights flicker. It was only the third that made her stand and walk to the door of the cell. Peering through the bars in the metal window, she could see that there were no guards in the hall.

Two more explosions, close together. She could faintly hear the clamor of guards scrambling down the hall.

After innumerable explosions and wisps of distant shouts, she heard a close, familiar noise. Pietro stood in the now open door. "Come on, we're leaving." He took her hand as she stood from where she had fallen, grabbed the back of her neck, and in the blink of an eye, they were in the gear room adjoining to one of the labs. Pietro gestured around them, "I've seen you in here before, get what you need."

Body working on autopilot, she quickly went through the well-learned motions. It must be some kind of mission. There's no other reason she would be in the gear room. She quickly strapped on her armor, and grabbed 2 handguns and a few knives.

"Ready?" He asked. She responded with only a nod.

He whssshed them outside, through the train tunnel. He pointed further down the tracks. "We're meeting my sister Wanda down there. Keep going and you'll find her." With that, he was gone.

She followed the tracks as he said. The shouts and sounds of weapons firing that echoed down from further up the mountain began to die off. Not far down the tracks, she found a girl, with ratty brown hair and a black dress. She seemed... Strange. As if an aura of power surrounded her. After a moment, she raised an eyebrow slightly and spread her hands. "You can come closer, you know. I'm not going to hurt you." Her voice was scratchy, slightly lilting, and very beautiful. "I'm Wanda. Pietro told me about you."

Cautiously, the newcomer approached Wanda, who gave a soft, crooked smile. Soon after, Pietro appeared in their midst, his blue wake down the mountain quickly evaporating. The three of them took a glance at the now silent castle, and then began to make their way down to the city. The twins led the way, as they knew where would be the best spot to hide out at before they made their next move, the unnamed shadow drifting behind.

When they reached the city, the first thing they did was find an abandoned alleyway that they could use as a temporary hideout. Pietro and Wanda left the other girl there to stand watch, and left to gather necessities. They swiped some clothes from a shop, along with a bag and some food. Evening was setting in as they headed back, and they were close to the alley when a glow in a window caught Pietro's eye. He grabbed the glowing bauble from the windowsill, and showed it to Wanda, whispering a suggestion in her ear.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She was still standing lookout at their hiding place in the city. To anyone else, she might look like a homeless teen, with the ratty blanket wrapped around her disguising her uniform and weapons. She saw Wanda and Pietro round the corner to the street, easily chatting and smiling away. When they saw her waiting for them, Wanda said something else to Pietro and hurried towards her, a new, red scarf fluttering around her.

"We found something for you!" Wanda said, with a bright, slightly crooked smile. She prompted Pietro with a hit from her elbow.

A bit shyly, Pietro pulled something from his pocket: a small plastic star, emitting a soft, green glow. "You said you didn't have a name. We saw this, and it reminded me of you, and I thought... Stella. Star."

"Stella." The newly-named girl softly repeated. She gently took the star in her hand, holding it as if it were the most delicate and precious thing in the world. "Thank you," she said, in barely more than a whisper, briefly meeting their eyes with the faintest of smiles. All three realized simultaneously that right then was the first time any of them recalled seeing her smile.

They then presented her with the clothes they had procured for her, which she accepted with equal gratitude: a black shirt and pants, with a blue over shirt, green peacoat, and a pair of brown boots. Wanda helped her stash her weapons and armor in the bag. The twins stayed and talked with her for a few minutes, coaxing out what few words they could from her, before they headed out into the city again, leaving her to ponder all that had just happened.

"Star!" Her head eagerly jerked up at the sound of her new name. She grabbed the bag and ran towards the twins, who were beckoning her from the end of the alley. They told her that they needed to go to a church in the center of the city, that something important was there.

She followed them to the church, where a large figure by the alter was covered by a shawl. Wanda summoned a few wisps of red energy in her hand, eyes glowing threateningly as she approached the figure. "Talk. And if you're wasting our time..." She let the threat hang in the still air, but the figure spoke suddenly, with no fear.

"Did you know this church is in the exact center of the city?" It's voice was deep, metallic, and certainly not human. "The elders decreed it, so that everyone would be... equally close to God. I like that. The geometry of belief." It moved slightly, a slight whirr accompanying the motion. "You're wondering why you can't see inside my head," It stated matter-of-factly, addressing Wanda directly.

"Sometimes it's hard," She tilted up her head in defiance of this menacing creature, but still glanced back to her brother and new friend in concern. "But sooner or later, every man shows himself."

"Oh, I'm sure they do," The giant figure said condescendingly, finally rising to its full height. Stella gasped and took a step back in fear. She had seen robots before, she had seen the Winter Soldier's arm, she had even seen Zola, and his mechanized brain. But they were nothing like this. The metal creature was nine feet of wires and lights and metal, glowing red eyes and steel mouth simultaneously far too human-like and utterly alien.

"But you needed something more than a man," It continued in its horrible voice. "That's why you let Stark take the scepter."

"I didn't expect..." She gestured to the robot. "But I saw Stark's fear. I knew it would control him, make him self destruct."

"Everyone creates the thing they dread," The robot agreed. "Men of peace create engines of war, invaders create Avengers, people create..." He paused for a moment, blinking in confusion. "Smaller people?" He held up his hand as if to capture the lost word. "Children! I lost the word there." He chuckled to himself, the range of emotions making him even more human-like. "Designed to supplant them, to help them... end."

"Is that why you've come?" Wanda asked, stepping forward boldly. "To end the Avengers?"

"I've come to save the world," He said grandiosely. "But also, yeah." He began to walk out of the church, beckoning them to follow him.

"Wait a second." Pietro approached the robot now. "What are you?"

The robot turned his red eyes on the blond twin. "A suit of armor around the world," He said. "I'm Ultron." With that, he turned and walked out. The three companions shared a glance, then followed him.

They followed Ultron to the outskirts of the city, where they entered a winding underground complex, full of machines bustling around and building things, adding to the structure. It was like nothing any of them had ever seen, like a trip to doomsday Disneyland. Ultron led them to a large room, where even more robotic forms were under construction. "We'll move out right away. This is a start, but there's something we need to begin the real work." He walked over to a half constructed body, touching it softly, almost tenderly. "All of these are me. I have something the Avengers never will: harmony. They're discordant. Disconnected. Stark's already got them turning on each other." He turned to Wanda. "And when you get inside the rest of their heads..."

"Everyone's plan is not to kill them," Pietro said impatiently, clearly getting worn thin with the pompous Ultron.

"Then make them martyrs." He walked closer, causing Stella to inch back from her place behind Pietro. "You need patience. Need to see the big picture."

"I don't see the big picture," Pietro stood his ground, silencing the slightest tremor of emotion in his voice with a clench of his fist. "I have a little picture. I take it out and look at it, every day." His eyes fell to the floor as an all too familiar wave of sadness washed over him.

"You lost your parents in the bombings. I've seen the records." There was sympathy in Ultron's mechanical voice, and somehow his metal face softened.

"The records are not the picture," Pietro said, visibly getting angrier.

"Pietro," Wanda put out her hand to calm her brother down before he did anything rash.

Ultron, however, seemed intrigued, and almost... sad. "No, please."

Despite seeming shaken by the robot's empathy, the enhanced continued: "We were 10 years old. Having dinner, the four of us. When the first shell hits, 2 floors below, it makes this hole in the floor. It's big. Our parents go in..." He faltered for a moment. "And the whole building starts coming apart. I grab her, roll under the bed, and the second shell hits. But it doesn't go off. It just... sits there in the rubble. 3 feet from our faces. And on the side is painted one word..." His voice broke off.

"Stark," Wanda said, putting a hand on Pietro's shoulder, as much for her support as his. Pietro took a deep breath, and resumed his haunting tale.

"We were trapped for two days. Every effort to save us, every shift in the bricks, I think 'This will set it off.'"

"We wait for two days for Tony Stark to kill us." Wanda finished.

Ultron looked away, pondering something. "I wondered why only you two survived Stucker's experiments." He looked back to them, and approached. "Now I don't." The automaton turned towards Stella. "And you. Why are you here?"

"I don't work for Hydra anymore." It was the first thing to fall out of her mouth. No, she didn't. They didn't have her anymore.

"Hydra... You're a Winter Soldier, aren't you?" He asked. Stella's face blanched in terror. How did he know? What else did he know? "That will make you very useful. I can help you get revenge on your former masters. You won't be a servant again. I just need you to help me defeat the Avengers."

The Avengers... Hydra hated them. And because of that, they had trained her on how to eliminate them. She knew everything about them, how to best attack them, which ones were most unwilling to harm civilians, which ones were most likely to support each other. She looked up at Ultron's metal face, and nodded solemnly.

"We can hurt them," Ultron said, looking from Star to Pietro. "But you will tear them apart... from the inside." He reached out a hand, barely brushing Wanda's face.

A human sized robot entered the room, opened its face, and projected a hologram of the globe. The humans in the room hardly batted an eye, it wasn't any stranger than anything else in their lives. There were several areas on the map that were highlighted, some of which Stella recognized as points of Hydra's interest. She had smuggled information from at least 1. "We need some supplies before we're ready. Think of it as practice. I can be there to help you, but I need these things."

He pointed out where they needed to go first, a jet propulsion laboratory. He and his machines would get the jets and fuel he needed, they just needed to help him get in.

"When do we leave?" Wanda asked, flexing her hands as wisps of red curled around them. A large metal door opened to their right.

"Now." Ultron turned towards the door and walked out, the twins and Stella just behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, things are finally starting to heat up. I will have some more chapters exploring Stella's past up at some point, but that's all for now.


End file.
